How to Protect Your Natural Hair this Winter

Cold temperatures and blustery winter weather wreak havoc on hair. Particularly for textured and type 4 hair, the winter season can cause dry, tangled locks that are more easily prone to breakage when depleted of moisture. Here are essential tips to help you take proper care this winter to protect your hair and prevent damage.

Human hair extensions can also experience the hardships of winter, since they react to the cold, dry weather just the same as your own hair. The following tips should be applied to your hair extensions as well, to keep them healthy and lustrous and help you to achieve the length and fullness you desire.

Use Hair Masks Weekly

Enriched with nourishing oils, butters, and other hair-loving nutrients that penetrate and moisturize your hair cuticles, hair masks are must-haves for textured hair. Unlike regular conditioners that are applied after each shampoo and quickly rinsed out, hair masks are left on for at least 20-30 minutes and up to overnight. The long-wearing quality of a hair mask is deeply nourishing and strengthening for hair, particularly textured hair during the colder months.

In the winter, we recommend using hair masks weekly and wearing them overnight to blast strands with potent moisture and protection from harsh weather and dryness. If you can use them more than once a week, even better!

When shopping for a wintertime hair mask, look for one made with shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, castor oil, rosehip oil, or jojoba oil in addition to vitamin A and E and essential fatty acids for their moisturizing properties. Always be sure to avoid parabens and sulfates in haircare products, since they can strip the hair of moisture and cause more dryness.

Swap Your Conditioner for a Deep Conditioning Treatment

Up the moisturizing properties of your haircare routine by exchanging a regular conditioner for a deep conditioning product. Made to moisturize and soften hair, deep conditioners make a perfect companion to your haircare winter regimen, especially when paired with a hair mask. This dynamic duo can moisturize, strengthen, and soften textured hair to keep it healthy and looking soft and beautiful.

The ingredients to look for are similar to hair masks, and include nourishing butters like shea butter and cocoa butter, with moisturizing oils like avocado, jojoba, red palm, and vitamin E oil.

You can use deep conditioners either as a rinse-out or leave-in conditioner. If you wish to rinse out after shampooing, leave it on for 15-20 minutes before washing out.

For even better results, use in tandem with a moisturizing shampoo that is paraben and sulfate-free. During the winter, try to shampoo less often since shampoos can strip hair of its natural oils and cause dryness.

 SHOP CURLY CLIP IN HAIR EXTENSIONS

Pro Tip:

If you have hair extensions, be sure to avoid the tops of the extensions near the clips or bonds, since the oils in conditioners can damage them. Use the conditioner from the mid-shaft to ends of the hair, leaving plenty of room at the top where the shampoo is most needed. When you’re out of the shower with damp hair, use a wide-tooth comb or loop brush to gently comb out any tangles before allowing to air dry. A loop brush is designed for hair extensions, made to prevent hooking and pulling on the extension bonds. Hair dryers can dry out the hair and are best avoided in the winter. If you must use a hair dryer or hot styling tool, be sure to use a heat protectant beforehand.

Naturally curly and kinky hair extensions enhance the natural texture and wave pattern of your hair, helping you to avoid drying hot tools while enjoying beautiful, full and bouncy hair.

Get Creative with Protective Braided Styles

Not only are braided hair styles super low-maintenance, they also are protective and help to prevent tangles and reduce exposure to snow and sleet. Braids can last up to five months, so they can really help to make your wintertime hair care much easier, considering all of the protective measures you’re taking to reduce dryness. You’ll still need to apply some self-care to your hair, by shampooing and conditioning regularly to remove excess oil and dirt from your roots and keep your strands hydrated.

If your natural hair doesn’t look voluminous when braided, pop in a few hair extensions to pump up the fullness of your hair for thicker looking braids.

Top braided hairstyles to try this winter include:

• French Braid
• Ghana Braids
• Double Dutch Braids
• Faux Goddess Braid
• Braided High Bun
• Box Braids
• Box Braids Fishtail
• Double Cornrows
• Triangle Style Box Braids
• Jumbo Box Braids

Pro Tip:

On the days when you don’t feel like rocking braids and you want to try glamorous straight or wavy hair, simply braid the middle and back sections of your hair, leaving out the front sections. Put in a few clip-in hair extensions to cover your braids and to give the illusion of silky smooth styled hair. It’s so easy to achieve long, voluminous hair with hair extensions.

Have you started your winter hair care routine yet to protect your natural hair? Let us know what you’ve been up to! Do you have any questions about how to take care of your textured hair and hair extensions? Contact our team and we’ll guide you in the right direction to help you achieve healthy, beautiful hair all winter long.